One might assume that not many cars would be on a New Jersey highway at 2:45 a.m., but that is not always true. Especially during summer, roadways can be traffic laden at any hour of the day or night. Many vacationers travel in the wee hours after midnight so they can arrive at their destinations early in the morning. On a recent Sunday, there were multiple vehicles on the same stretch of road when a serious accident occurred.

There were technically two collisions. The first happened when a tractor-trailer slammed into the back of a 73-year-old woman's car. The truck operator exited his vehicle to remain on site until rescue workers and police arrived.  

While he was standing outside his vehicle, another car crashed into the woman's vehicle, which caused it to hit the man who was standing there. Sadly, the elderly woman did not survive her injuries. The 60-year-old truck driver also suffered moderate injuries upon impact in the second crash. At the time of this writing, no charges had been filed against any of the drivers.

Situations like this typically prompt extensive investigations. Officials must try to find answers to many questions, such as why the tractor-trailer hit the rear end of the woman's car. A key factor may have been that her car was stopped in the traffic lane. In addition to investigations, New Jersey collisions resulting in injury or death also often lead to litigation when one or more people seek legal accountability against any and all parties deemed responsible for the accidents.